50-467: [REDACTED] Beltway 8 Westheimer Road ( / ˈ w ɛ s t ( h ) aɪ m ər / ) is an arterial east–west road in Houston , Texas , United States . It runs from Bagby Street in Downtown and terminates at the Westpark Tollway on the southern edge of George Bush Park , stretching about 19 miles (31 km) long. The street was named after Michael Louis Westheimer, a German immigrant and flour salesman. Westheimer Road's eastern terminus
100-852: A toll road owned and operated by the Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA). East of Houston, the tollway crosses the Houston Ship Channel on the Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge , a toll bridge ; this forms a gap in Beltway ;8 between I-10 (Baytown-East Freeway) and State Highway 225 (SH 225, La Porte Freeway). Beltway 8 is the intermediate beltway in the Houston area. The inner beltway, I-610 , lies mostly within Houston (except for an approximate two-mile (3.2 km) stretch that runs through
150-518: A 640-acre (260 ha) farm west of Houston's city limits at the time, where Lamar High School and St. John's School are currently located. Having built a school on his land for his 16 children, other local children were invited to join the school, as a public school system was not established in the area. The road that led to his property was known as "the road to Westheimer's place" and wound through what would later be Neartown and River Oaks . In 1895, Westheimer allowed Harris County to build
200-900: A Stop-Work Order at 27 of the 31 Boston Market stores in New Jersey over multiple violations of workers rights, including owed backpay of up to $ 607,471 from up to 314 employees. An investigation on the matter began in November 2022 when an employee in Mercer County filed a complaint. The affected employees have since been reimbursed for their lost wages, and the stores were allowed to re-open a month later. In September 2023, investigative journalists of Restaurant Business Magazine revealed Pandya has over 200 lawsuits against him related to unpaid wages of employees, unpaid suppliers, and other violations related to his restaurants. The report described Pandya's ownership of Boston Market as "chaotic". In November 2023,
250-831: A company of Rohan Group, owned by Jignesh "Jay" Pandya. In 2023 and beyond, Boston Market experienced financial problems and closed most of its locations. At the start of 2023 there was about 300 locations, but by early 2024 the chain was down to 27 locations. Foods offered at Boston Market included various meats and sides, some examples include : Rotisserie Chicken (whole, half, 1/4, etc), Apple Pie , Carved Chicken Sandwich , Chicken Salad Sandwich, Chicken Noodle Soup , Chicken Pot Pie , Chocolate Cake , Cilantro Lime Rice, Creamed Spinach , Cobb Salad , Cornbread , Garlic Dill Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes (with Gravy), Meatloaf and Meatloaf Sandwich, Salted Caramel Lava Cake, Prime rib , Ribs (Beef with sauce), Steamed Vegetables, Sweet Potato Casserole, Turkey (roasted). Many of
300-488: A company of Rohan Group. Also, frozen meals and side dishes are sold nationally under the Boston Market brand name in food markets. The chain was known for rotisserie chickens, and later branched out into other meats such as turkey, meatloaf, and ham. A common meal had a meat with a few sides such as potatoes, cream spinach, mac n' cheese, and accompanied by a corn bread. Stores sometimes had seasonal specials and they also had
350-533: A database and send a ticket for toll violations via mail. Recently, this system has been upgraded to alert local authorities if a vehicle has been flagged for any reason, including AMBER Alerts . When a flagged vehicle is detected, it notifies the closest law enforcement officer to investigate. At this time, Precinct 5 Constables and Harris County Sheriff's Office are being notified, but Houston Police Department has shown interest and wishes to be included to be notified. The total number of cameras that are planned for
400-645: A few of the uncountable Starbucks ." He added that the segment of Westheimer Road in Westchase does not have "the sleaze of the Highway ;6 area and the tacky exuberance of mid-Westheimer, the area between Chimney Rock and Fondren." In 2007, Colliers International ranked Westheimer Road as the seventh most expensive retail street in the US by rent per square foot; the group calculated the rent per square foot as $ 120 ($ 46/km). In 2007, Mimi Swartz of Texas Monthly referred to
450-671: A freeway from its general fund. In September 1983, county voters approved a referendum by a 7–3 margin to release up to $ 900 million in bonds to create two toll roads, the Hardy Toll Road (basically a reliever for I-45 between downtown Houston and Montgomery County ) and the Sam Houston Tollway, which would be the main lanes of the Beltway. Shortly after the referendum, the Harris County Commissioners Court created
500-537: A lawsuit against Boston Market in the Federal Court of Canada over the trademark use of the word "Boston" in Canada. In its defense, Boston Market alleged that Boston Pizza's trademarks were invalid because it described a style of pizza from a specific area. The dispute continued after Boston Market ceased operations in Canada in 2004. The parties settled the dispute in 2008 under an agreement that Boston Market would not use
550-431: A line of sandwiches. It was popular in the 1990s and early 21st century but by the 2020s was in a rapid decline, and by 2024 there was only a couple dozen stores left. From 1985 to 1995, it was known as Boston Chicken, and had rapid expansion to over a thousand locations. But by the late 1990s it had filed for bankruptcy and had to close many stores, down to a few hundred, and ended up being bought by McDonald's in 2000. It
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#1732872263292600-493: A mixture of dimly recognizable 'traditional' styles. The order of the strip is economic, rather than visual or experiential. The biggest-grossing land gets the prime footage." Lomax said that the segment of Westheimer in Westchase is "virtually all chains—a Geography of Nowhere wasteland of Boston Market , Borders , Kroger , Randalls , Taco Bell , Citgo and Sonic . Several of the six CVS outlets we passed are there, as are
650-401: A private firm, the Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously voted to keep the tollway in the hands of HCTRA. On September 3, 2007, the toll increased by $ 0.25 system wide with some exceptions. On February 26, 2011, construction of the main lanes between I-69/US 59 (Eastex Freeway) and US 90 (Crosby Freeway) was completed, thus completing the entire beltway system. This section
700-489: A radio station, sponsored the event. Jerry Lightfoot & The Essential Band did the opening 80-minute set. The band Huey Lewis and the News performed at the ceremony. The segment between US 290 and I-45 opened on July 8, 1990. The project was on schedule and $ 133 million (equivalent to $ 274 million in 2023 ) under budget. Despite recent speculation about the possibility of the Sam Houston Tollway being sold by HCTRA to
750-614: A result of rising eviction notices and unpaid rent, Boston Market and owner Pandya filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2023. On January 10, 2024, the company announced that it would allow anyone to open a Boston Market franchise without the usual franchise fees or other buy-in requirements. On January 11, 2024, Boston Market's bankruptcy case was dismissed after being unresponsive to court requests. On February 1, 2024, US Foods won its lawsuit against Boston Market, with federal judge Manish Shah claiming that Boston Market's defenses in
800-421: A result, the section of Beltway 8 from I-10 to SH 225 on the east side of Houston was removed from the state highway system on July 24, 1978. The Jesse H. Jones Memorial Bridge was opened in 1982. The TTA, however, turned down the opportunity to improve the entire beltway as well, leaving Harris County to upgrade the road to freeway standards. However, Harris County could not afford to build and maintain
850-603: A right-of-way for a road stretching from Houston to Columbus and Sealy ; this road became Westheimer Road. Texas State Highway Beltway 8 Beltway 8 ( BW8 ), the Sam Houston Parkway , along with the Sam Houston Tollway , is an 88-mile (142 km) beltway around the city of Houston, Texas , United States, lying entirely within Harris County . Beltway 8, a state highway maintained by
900-582: A second beltway in the 1950s (the first was the I-610 loop, created between the 1950s and the 1970s). The beltway was designated as part of the state highway system, reusing the Loop ;8 number, on May 7, 1969. Because the proposed route had been referred to locally as the Outer Belt, and Harris County used similar nomenclature for segments of the route, the designation was changed to Beltway 8 on July 31, 1969. It
950-406: A stretch of Westheimer between Claremont Lane and Kirby Drive as "the socialite 's sector" due to the stores catering to residents of River Oaks and other nearby wealthy communities; in the article, she describes several places along the stretch of Westheimer. Between Willowick Road and Sage Road, Westheimer is lined with prestigious boutiques and high-end stores that feature luxury goods . Among
1000-601: A variety of side dishes , but in February 1995, the chain expanded its menu to include turkey , meatloaf , and ham and changed the name to Boston Market in fall 1995 to reflect this. In 1995, Boston Chicken created the Einstein Bros. Bagels chain of bakery cafés , after acquiring several smaller chains of bagel-centric bakeries. In 1996, the chain launched a line of sandwiches known as "Boston Carver Sandwiches" that feature chicken, turkey, ham, and meatloaf; in 1997, due to
1050-523: A whole Rotisserie Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Vegetable Stuffing , Spinach-Artichoke Dip, Cranberry Walnut Relish, Dinner rolls , and Pumpkin and Apple pies (example from 2018). The supermarket brand is produced by Bellisio foods , which is respected producer of frozen foods in the United States, and as of 2024 continues to produce items such as Chicken Pot pie bites, mashed potatoes, and chicken fajita rice bowls. In 2002, Boston Pizza commenced
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#17328722632921100-617: Is at Bagby Street. At this point, traffic heading east on Westheimer either turns southwest on Bagby Street or jogs right and southeasterly, continuing on Elgin Street into Midtown and into Third Ward near the University of Houston . From Bagby west, Westheimer jogs mostly westerly, through Neartown , forms the south boundary of the River Oaks community and then passes under Interstate 610 (I-610) west. The portion spanning from I-610 west to
1150-576: Is in Fort Bend County approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) northwest of Grand Parkway. At this point, traffic heading northwest on Westheimer Parkway continues on Pin Oak Road near Katy Mills , located in Katy . Westheimer Road and Westheimer Parkway are named after Mitchell (Michael) Louis Westheimer, a prosperous German Jewish immigrant and flour salesman who had settled in Houston in 1859. He purchased
1200-415: Is the essence of that—Evans Music City, an army surplus store, a titty bar and a liquor store within 100 yards [91 m] of each other. Now that's one-stop shopping." In Houston Architectural Guide , Stephen Fox said the following about the stretch of Westheimer between Chimney Rock Road and South Gessner Road: Nowhere is the 'anything goes' image that adheres to Houston more blatantly displayed than along
1250-473: Is the only state highway loop to bear the "Beltway" designation. The beltway's construction was done in a piecemeal fashion, beginning with the opening of West Belt Drive and Roark Road, two surface streets, in the mid-1970s. Efforts to construct a bridge over the Houston Ship Channel were stymied until the Texas Turnpike Authority (TTA) was able to do so as a toll facility in the late 1970s. As
1300-661: The City of Bellaire ), and the outer beltway, SH 99 (Grand Parkway), is currently partially complete. Like other toll roads in the Houston area , the speed limit is 65 mph (105 km/h). The longest free section of main lanes is on the north side of Houston, stretching from Ella Boulevard east to Mesa Drive. This is maintained by TxDOT east of roughly the Hardy Toll Road interchange. This particular free section has remained untolled since its 1969 opening because of accessibility to George Bush Intercontinental Airport . It includes
1350-622: The Northeastern and Midwestern United States , but also had a large presence in California , Florida , and Texas . As of August 2024 , the chain was struggling financially and had closed most of its locations. Boston Chicken was founded by Steven Kolow and Arthur Cores in 1985 in Newton , a suburb of Boston. The chain expanded rapidly in the early and mid-1990s. When it was known as Boston Chicken, restaurants specialized in rotisserie chicken and
1400-463: The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), runs mostly along the frontage roads of the tollway, only using the main lanes where they are free: between Interstate 45 (I-45, North Freeway ) and Interstate 69 / US Highway 59 (I-69/US 59, Eastex Freeway ); and between US 90 (Crosby Freeway) and I-10 ( Baytown-East Freeway ). The main lanes elsewhere are the Sam Houston Tollway,
1450-512: The HCTRA to administer the construction and operation of the new road system. Then-County Judge Jon Lindsay is generally credited with shepherding the referendum from its infancy to its passage, along with the implementation of the plan for the roadway. During the public information campaign leading up to the referendum, the county government published brochures stating that the toll roads would become free once their construction costs had been recouped, but
1500-760: The Westpark Tollway is designated as a part of Farm to Market Road 1093 (FM 1093). From I-610 west, Westheimer Road traverses through Uptown and then west-southwest to Chimney Rock. From Chimney Rock west, Westheimer is straight along a cardinal east–west line. Westheimer passes north of Alief and Westchase when passing under Beltway 8 . After intersecting State Highway 6 (SH 6) and passing west of West Oaks Mall , Westheimer Road and Westheimer Parkway split, with Westheimer Parkway continuing west through George Bush Park and Westheimer Road (also known as "Old Westheimer Road") turning southwest. Westheimer Road terminates when FM 1093 becomes
1550-695: The area. Westheimer is the Main Street of the Montrose neighborhood which was dubbed as one of the greatest neighborhoods of the United States. The arts culture is widespread, with graffiti present in and on buildings throughout. From its eastern terminus at Westheimer Road/FM 1093, Westheimer Parkway winds through George Bush Park and the Cinco Ranch neighborhood in Harris County and Fort Bend County . The Parkway then runs under Grand Parkway near Cinco Ranch High School . Westheimer Parkway's western terminus
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1600-626: The chicken items were based around the Rotisserie Chicken product, but delivered into different recipes, or alternatively, the Rotisserie oven was used to cook other meats. Boston Market at one point also introduced rotisserie nuggets. An example of steamed vegetable offered was broccoli, and an example of a desert item is chocolate chip cookies . Boston Market also had seasonal holiday menu and catering food packages, such as for Thanksgiving dinner (A traditional U.S. Holiday meal), they offered
1650-564: The company failed to pay workers in Massachusetts. On November 14, 2023, all Detroit-area Boston Market locations were permanently shuttered and were handed eviction notices due to unpaid rent. On November 20, 2023, all 8 remaining Connecticut Boston Market locations, located in East Haven, Meriden, West Hartford, Wilton, Stratford, Milford, Bristol, and Newington, were all permanently shuttered and handed eviction notices due to unpaid rent. As
1700-946: The company for its real estate, but found the brand serviceable and therefore continued to operate and expand. In the early 2000s, Boston Market operated two locations in Toronto, Ontario. In early 2002, Boston Market entered the Australian market, opening nine stores in the Sydney metropolitan area by 2004, before converting some stores to McDonald's and quietly exiting the Australian market later that year due to competitive pressures. In April 2004, Boston Market introduced chilled menu items to be sold at supermarkets. In December 2005, these chilled menu items were available in 700 supermarkets. In 2005, Boston Market also started offering limited-time offers, such as Crispy Country Chicken, an oven-baked chicken breast with gravy. In 2007, McDonald's announced that it
1750-489: The company to create a steady stream of revenue from one-time development fees and increasing royalties, but also raised interest rates on its development loans. In 1998, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy . Since April 1999, a selection of Boston Market-branded items have been available in many supermarkets across the United States. Boston Market was purchased by McDonald's Corporation in May 2000. McDonald's purchased
1800-570: The feeder road of the Westpark Tollway just west of FM 1464 and just inside Fort Bend County. John Nova Lomax of the Houston Press said in a 2006 article that Westheimer Road, "more than any other thoroughfare, embodies Houston's car-enamored, zoning-free ethos, a damn-near 20-mile [32 km] phantasmagoria of strip malls, storage facilities, restaurants, big-box retail, office parks, apartment complexes, strip clubs, malls, supermarkets and
1850-546: The interchanges with I-69 / US 59 (Eastex Freeway), John F. Kennedy Boulevard, the Hardy Toll Road, and I-45 (North Freeway). Three shorter free sections also exist: These all exist in order to allow federal funding to have been used to build the freeway-to-freeway interchanges at the Baytown-East, Gulf and Southwest Freeways. The frontage roads are generally continuous, and allow for slower free travel along
1900-522: The occasional church." In another article, he referred to Westheimer as "mainly about the fetishes, broken dreams and vanities of Anglo whites ." In a post on the Houston Press website during the same year, he called the stretch of Westheimer west of Chimney Rock Road and east of Fondren Road, which he refers to as "Mid-Westheimer", "The Testosterone Zone". Referring to a photograph of a shopping center on that segment, Lomax added that "This strip center
1950-593: The planning of Beltway 8 and the opening of the final section. On August 28, 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused flooding to the West Belt and caused damage near I-10. The entire route is in Harris County . All exits are unnumbered. Boston Market Boston Market Corporation , known as Boston Chicken until 1995, is an American fast casual restaurant chain headquartered in Newtown Township, Pennsylvania . Since 2020, it has been owned by Engage Brands, LLC,
2000-506: The shopping centers in this section include The Galleria and River Oaks District and many others. Brands that feature boutiques include Apple , Tom Ford , Gucci , Fendi , Christian Dior SE , Dolce & Gabbana , John Hardy , Cartier , Carolina Herrera , Prada , Rolex , Versace , etc. Between Shepherd Drive and Bagby Street, the street is known as Lower Westheimer. The area is famous for its hipster culture, food scene, and nightlife. Thrift stores, tattoo shops, and bars dominate
2050-549: The stretch of Westheimer Road between Chimney Rock and South Gessner Road. Middle-class subdivisions of the 1950s flank this strip, but they are hidden behind broad bands of commercial development that face Westheimer. Most of these date from the 1960s and early '70s, when Houston's suburbanizing ethos was at its least constrained. Not only do shopping centers, gas stations and fast-food restaurants line up along Westheimer—each flashing signs or theme-style inducements to passersby—but mega-garden apartment complexes compete for attention in
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2100-418: The success of the new line, the "Extreme Carver" sandwiches were launched, filled with more portions of the above meats and more cheese than the originals. The corporate name remained "Boston Chicken, Inc." until 1997, when it became so popular with the new name, the corporate name was changed to "Boston Market Corporation". The company raised a lot of debt to finance its expansion. The rapid expansion allowed
2150-491: The system is 35. A previous route numbered Loop 8 was designated on September 25, 1939, in Beaumont, running from US 59 (later US 96, after the 1939 redescription of the highway system ) at Gladys Street via Gulf Street, North Street, and Fourth Street to US 90 as a renumbering of SH 8 Loop . This route was cancelled on January 18, 1944. Houston, known for its fast population growth, began planning for
2200-496: The tolled segments. Only one break exists in the frontage roads; there are also several locations where one must turn to stay on them: The lane count is for mainlanes only, unless otherwise noted. Starting at the north end of the Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge, and moving in a clockwise direction, mainlane counts are as follows: A number of cameras are located at toll booths to record license plate information to
2250-426: The tolls were not removed after the tollways were paid off. In 1989, The Bangles performed at the opening of the segment of Beltway 8 between I-10 (Katy Freeway) and US 290. On July 7, 1990, a ceremony, called Road Party II, took place for the opening of the section of Beltway 8 between I-45 (North Freeway) and US 290, the final segment. Organizers had planned for a crowd of 100,000. KLOL ,
2300-401: The words "Boston" or "Boston Market" in Canada for five years for restaurants or any food or drink products (other than pre-packaged food products, but not including pizza and lasagna). Boston Market also agreed that it would not challenge Boston Pizza's use in Canada of any trademark that uses the words "Boston" or "Boston Pizza" (with certain exceptions). On July 3, 2023, a complaint in court
2350-493: Was "exploring strategic options" for the subsidiary. On August 6, 2007, McDonald's announced plans to sell the chain to Sun Capital Partners , a transaction that was completed on August 27, 2007. In April 2018, Boston Market announced that it was expanding its menu to offer rotisserie prime rib nationwide, three days a week. In 2020, they introduced baby back ribs paired with Sweet Baby Ray's sauce. In April 2020, Sun Capital Partners sold Boston Market to Engage Brands, LLC,
2400-563: Was filed stating the Danbury, Connecticut Boston Market owed in excess of $ 61,000 in unpaid rent and connected charges. A ruling in the landlord's favor July 28, 2023 led to an eviction. On July 25, 2023, US Foods sued Boston Market for $ 11.3 million, accusing the company of owing them over $ 10 million for food distributed over several prior years. On August 14, 2023, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development gave
2450-405: Was originally set to be completed between 2007 and 2009, but funding issues delayed its completion. The project cost $ 400 million (equivalent to $ 552 million in 2023 ) and was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. The new 13-mile (21 km) section has three lanes in each direction, and an EZ Tag , TxTag or TollTag will be required to access it. Almost 60 years had passed between
2500-457: Was then sold again in 2007, and again in 2020. In the 2020s it began to encounter more store closures and some legal issues and by late 2024 only small number of locations remained. It is remembered for helping to popularize rotisserie chickens as well as fast casual, which both remain popular nationally. In November 2020, the chain had approximately 342 company-owned restaurant locations in 28 states and Puerto Rico. It had its greatest presence in
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